GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16798, 1 April 1920, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

"The Press" will not be published tomorrow (Good Friday).

The auction announcements of TV. E. Simes and Co., Harman and Stevens, McKenzie and Co., New Zealand Loan and M.A. Co., H. B. Sorensen, Jones, MoCrostie Co., and Lawrie and Dalton will be found on page 11 of this issue.

Under the wfll of the late Mrs AgneS Charlotte Hyde, widow, of Christchurch, the following bequests have been made: £100 to the Salvation Army for the Army's work at South Dunedin and at Linwood, in equal proportions; £50 to the Methodist Sunday school, St. Kilda, Dunedin; and £25 to the Christian Endeavour Society at St. Kilda, Dunedin.

A ballot conducted by the Nelson Land Board for the Golden Downs Estate, which has been bought by the Government, for soldier settlements, resulted as follows:—Lot 1. 1711 a 3r 8p (4 applications): J. N. White, of Temiika,' successful applicant. Lot 2 s, 1434 alr 32p (3 applications): N. N. L. Fynmore, of Dunedin, successful applicant. Lot 3 s, 932 a2r (3 applications): .TV. J. T. Smith, of Temuka, successful applicant. All the blocks were selected under tho renewable lease, with the right of purchase.

The success which has attended the Christchurch Amateur Beekeepers' Club has bccome known as far afield as Auckland. At a general meeting of tho club a letter was received from a member of tho Auckland Beekeepers' Club asking* to be supplied with details as to the management of the Christchurch Amateur Beekeepers' Club, as to the factors that had contributed to its success, and as to tho manner in which the club obtained such excellent results, on the small subscription charged. The secretary was instructed to write and give full information to the Auckland Beekeepers' Club.

Speaking in the Supreme Court at Mastgrton with reference to the high land values at present ruling, the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) said that he did not think the present wave of inflation could last. "I have been sixty years in this colony, and I have seen so many ups and downs in land values that I am quite prepared to see a drop in prices," said Sir Robert. "I do not think for a moment that the present laifg values £an last, but, of course, I may be wrong. The values may increase—l cannot say. A great deal depends upon affairs in Europe and America." Sir Robert added that it was impossible to say what land values would be three years hence, and he accordingly adjourned for that period a case he was dealing with, as the judgment in the case would depend upon the value of an estate in three years' time.

It epresentaf ires of tlio Iron and Brass Moulders' Union emphatically indicated at » sitting of a Council of Conciliation yesterday morning that if a settlement of the dispute with the employers could not be made by the Council they would not go to the Arbitration Court, but would take other" measures. The union assessors, after retiring, declined to accept the employers' offer of wages based on the recent Ofcago award for iron and brass moulders whereupon Mr F. W. Anderson, one of the employers' assessors, said:—"Oh, well, that settles it. There is not much good in us going on." He said he was inclined to let the case go to the Arbitration Court. Mr G. Samms a union representative, retorted, "You can take it as definite that the moulders will not go to the Arbitration Court." Mr Robinson, another representative of the union, said: "If the employers force our hands to take stronger measures the responsibility will be with them." He added that the workers demanded ! a wage sufficient to meet the increased cost of living. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr "W. H. Hagger) advised the parties not to talk in such a strain, I and subsequently succeedcd in arrang- ; ing for an adjourned sitting of the j Council. |

All the Canterbury rivers were r&porced clear yesterday.

At a sale of household goods in Balclutha, a few days ago, a parcel of •103Ij of sugar was, after keen bidding, auctioned at 7d a lb.

A united religious service, under the auspices of the Council of Churches will be held at St. Paul's Church to-morrow, at 11 a.m. The Rev. Percy Knight wil] preach, and the Communion Service will follow.

No definite information is available: yet as to the prcbablc dato of arrival of the new training ship. As stated some ti.ne ago the first ship offered was unsuitable. A second one was made avail-; able, and this is now in course of altera- j tion prior to being brought to New i Zealand. |

An illustrated lecture was given in ! Knox Church hall, Boa'.ey avenue, last night, by Mr Robert liarkness, of tho Chanman-Alexaridor mission. The Rev. Dr. Erwin presided over a large attendance. Over ICO lantern slides were shown, interspersed with sacred songs . by tho lecturer. To-night, at 8 o'clock, j Mr liarkness will give his lecture in St. I Andrew's Church. I

The new defence scheme, Sir James Allen told a reporter, has already been I drawn up in fairly complete detail, and will probably be made public when Cabinet has fully approved it. Asked whether the scheme would be embodied j in a Bill and submitted to Parliament' next session, the Minister said that ho was unable to make a definite state- j ment, but it was possible that special legislation would not be necessary.

There in a widely accepted impression that the profits of picture theatres resemble the proverbial "gold mine," states the Auckland "Star." This, however, is not borne out by the experience of shareholders in such concerns. In a recent enquiry into the earnings of some leading Auckland theatres it was said that at least three theatre companies had not paid any dividend for several years, another company paid 2j per cent., a fifth (5 per cent., while even the most successful had only earned about 9 per cent.

A line of Angora goats, about forty in number, from tho Port Levy district, formed a somewhat unusual feature of yesterday's stock market at Aldington. The goats did not appear to appreciate their now surroundings, as many of them bolted with little ado over the sides of the pens. However, they were evontunlly secured by the assistance of a lew hurdles over tho tops of tho pens. The prices were extremely low, ranging from 6s down to 2s Gd at auction, but private dealings afterwards wero at up to double these figures. About half of the line was secured by a Kaikoura pastoralist.

The boot retailers and repairers of Christchurch have advanced the prices of repairing by 33 l-3rd per cent from to-day. This, they explain, is on account of the enormous rise m the price of leather, sole leather having advanced 60 per cent. They also state that for some time past it has been impossible to obtain anjr quantity of leather suitable for repairing, consequently no stock of leather is on hand, and should a further rise in the price of leather occur, the prices of repairing will havo to be increased accordingly. A deputation of hoot retailers has been appointed to wait upon the Board of Trade.

"'When a worker has to travel by train he shall be allowed first-class railway fares, and if by steamer saloon fares shall be provided," was a subclause in the Christchurch Amalgamated Society of Engineers' claims presented to a Council of Conciliation yesterday. "That is unreasonable," said an employers' assessor. "Well, the bosses travel first-class, and when their men are travelling for them on business what is good enough for the bosses should be good enough for tho men." The Council, after some skirmishing on scenic views, and the relative comforts of first and second railway carriages, shelved this particular demand.

The fact that although the Manuka from Sydney arrived at Wellington on Tuesday evening, at 5.55, the southern portion of hor Australian mails failed to connect with the ferry steamer Mararoa, was tho subject of strong adverse comment in business circles in Christchurch yesterday. Several prominent business poople suggested that on the eve of the Easter holidays, a special effort might have been made by the Postal Department in Wellington to transfer tho mails to Tuesday night's ferry steamer, and so give southern business people a reasonable opportunity to deal with their Australian correspondence for the outgoing to-day.

A matter concerning the Cawthron estate, Nelson, was heard in chambers by Mr Justice Chapman, at "Wellington, this week. The executors of the estate, tho Bishop of Nelson, Mr T. A. H. Field, Mr R. H. D. Brewer, Mr Vi'. V.' Rout, and Mr H. Eberett) moved to have reviewed the registrar's award of £1345 to them for services in connexion with the estate. They asked for an increase in the executors' commission to £34.81 ; and tho grounds given for their motion were: (1) That the registrar had not given E roper weight to the responsibility orne by tho executors in carrying out their duties; (2) that he had not taken into account duties performed as trustees ; and (3) that the amount recommended by the registrar was inadequate to remunerate them for their pains and trouble. Judgment was reserved.

Reporting on behalf of the Employment Committee at last night's meeting of the Repatriation Board, Mr A. F. Drayton said that tho Board's officers had had a very strenuous week. Fifty-four applications for work had been received, while 52 had been placed in positions. There were now 23 men, mostly new cases, in need of employment. Mr Drayton remarked that at the previous meeting he had made reference to the dcsirabilitv of tho Government employing men where possible, and during the week one local Government Department had placed two T.B. men and one disabled man. Three clerks, two of them old cases, were still on the unemployed list. Tho position generally was good. In reply to a question, Mr Dravton said that the applications for work now included quite a number of "old cases."

Prohibition in the United States, which caused enormous quantities of liquor to descend almost like an avalanche upon the city of Nassau, in the Bahama Islands, has transformed the Bahama Government's financial condition from a deficit to comparatively a huge surplus, provided labour for large numbers of unemployed, and put more money in circulation in that little British colony that lias been the case for many years (writes our San Francisco correspondent, under date of February 21st). According to a cablegram to San Francisco, Sir William L. Allar-dvi-e, Governor of the colony, announced this in an address opening the 1920 session of the Bahama Legislature. Half-a-dozen vessels carried full cargoes of wines and liquors to the colony, and duties from them have restrred the Bahamas' Government's fallen fortunes, duo to the war, from a deficit to a surplus three times as large as the expected deficit, or about 555,000 dollars. The year's revenue is figured at 1,050,000 dollars, and the expenditure at 530,000 dollars. In addition, a surplus of 500.000 dollars yearly during the next two years, at least, is expected from duties when the liquors are taken out of bond. Aside from all this revenue, the pleasureable resort has been greatly patronised by wealthy Americans who happened to be caught without a private supply of spirituous liquors when "bone-drv" prohibition went into force in the United States. The influx of American visitors into the colony has been enormous this season, anil the same degree of prosperitv is reported from the Bermudas, which lie m the sea just off the Atlantic seaboard of the United. States.

To-morrow the Jewish Festival of the Passover wil! commence, and will continue for eight days.

A 'cello and organ recital will be given in St. Paul s Presbyterian Churcii to-morrow, at 7.20 p.m., by Miss Vera .Mitchell and Mr Raynor White.

A poll of Woolston ratepayers on the proposal to raise a loan of £1800 for sanitation improvements in the borough was hold yesterday, and resulted: For 88. against 70.

At Gisborne, yesterday, John Joseph Mead, solicitor, of Tokomam Buy. was fined £"0 on a charge of having fni.'ed to have his trust estate audited within the time prescribed by the Act.

At a meeting of the Nelson Poultry Association, Mr F. Dacre, of Christchurch, was appointed to judee all the fancy classes at' the forthcoming show; Mr r f. Doicr, of Wellington, the utility classes, and Mr H. Airth. of Wellington, the canary section.

"The neople in the banks, from top to bottom, are wage slaves. They are the worst paid people in the country," said the Mayor of Christchureh, when speaking at "the function yesterday at which a presentation was made to Mr C. K. Sams.

Motor cyclists who exceed tho speed limit will be interested in a case heard at the Magistrate's Court, Auckland, yosierdav. when a young man pleaded guiltv to three charges of breaking the law in this respect. The Magistrate, Mr Wilson, imposed fines totalling £30, being £10 on each count. His Worship added that it was unfortunate this was the maximum penalty. Highspeeding was a menace to tho community, and he would exercise his authority to safeguard the public.

Stainer's "Crucifixion" will bo performed in tho Durham street Methodist Church to-morrow evening, commencing at 8 o'clock. The soloists will bo Mr"II. Blakelcy and Mr W. J. Spratt. During the evening Mrs Ernest Firth will sing "He Was Despised" (Hando 1 .). "Woe Unto Them" (Mendelssohn), "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" (Judo); Miss Myrtle Twose will sing "There is a Green Hill" (Gounod). The organist -will be Mr Ernest Firth, F.R.C.O.

Mr Edwin Geach, who has been engaged for some time past in forming various film and amusement companies in Australasia into a big combination, with a capital of £3,000,000, is at present in Wellington. This new combination controls 75 per cent, of the picture theatres in Australia. It is erecting a Melbourne theatre, capable of seating 3500 people, at a cost of £100,000. Record film business has recently been done in Australia, and three film studios will soon bo at work in Sydney. Tho quality of the work turned out so far is, Mr Goach says, excellent.

The examination of candidates for licenses to make surveys in Australia and New Zealand have just concluded under the New Zealand Board's supervision (says a Wellington, telegram). Twenty-six candidates sat, of whom twenty were successful. The names of those, of whom all but two arc returned soldiers, are: —E. J. Smallfield, N. Clay, R. P. Worloy, T. T. Ropeha, A. D. Goodwin, G. R. W. Gossett, S. A. R. Goss, L. J. Poff, N. A. Middlemas, E. H. Stoddart, T. T. Andrews, and R. G. iSlyfield, all of Auckland; H. R. Farquhar and F. E. Brenton, Wellington: W. K. Wilton, Taumarnnui; O. J. Dolan, Hawera; H. R. Motram, Christchurch; W. D. Corbett, Napier; and F. D. Grant, Gisborne.

.Winter comes apace, and it is well to remember that after the summer everybody's blood is thinner—impoverished— in some cases more than others. This impoverishment is responsible for colds, and no end of other ailments. Tone up your blood with Loasbv's Nerve Tonic and Blood Enricher—it makes rich, red blood. 2s 6d and 4s 6d, all Chemists and Stores. Loasby and Co., Chemists (opp. Ballantyne's). 6

Christchurch husbands simply love to hear their wives singing "Home, Sweet Homo" while "No Rubhing" Laundry Help and "Golden Rule" Soap do the weekly washing. 6

Quite the finest lunch in town is obtainable from 12 to 2, at the King George Restaurant, opposite Beath's, in Cashel street (over Dennis Bros.). Soups, hot and cold joints, grills, fish, sweets, etc. Minimum charge Is 3d. Oysters and fish at any hour —Pacific Trawling Company. ' 6

You can depend upon everything being done promptly and well if you only hand your shipping documents to J. M Heywood and Co.. Ltd. The} are recognised as experts at this work. Telephones 250, 1211, and 2174. 0 SPLENDID VALUE IN USED MOTOR-CYCLES. "We have at present in stock a fine selection of second-hand motor-cycles, taken by us in part payment for new motor-cycles or motor-cars. These are offered at exceptionally moderate prices, to stimulate quick sales. Following is a brief description of a few of the machines: 4 h.p. 8.5.A., 3-speed (hub crear), £35; 5-6 h.p. twin-cylindor "King Dick," 3-speed, £50; 4 h.p. Triumph, 3-speed, £75; 4 h.p. Triumph, 3-speed, counter-shaft gear, £80; 4£ h.p. 8.5.A., 3-speed, counter-shaft gear, quite up-to-date, £95; Standard model 7-9 hp. twin-cylinder Excelsior, 3-speed, £95; electric model 7-9 h.p. twin-cylinder Excelsior, 3-speed, together with Canoelet side-car, £140. These machines, in most instances, carry lamp and horn, and are quite ready for the road. Early inspection is recommended, as the demand is very keen for second-hand motor-cycles at present. Adams, Ltd., 152-154 High street. 6